Territory



4 Sheets-Sheet 1.

(No Model.)

' F. HERMAN. TRACK LAYING APPARATUS.

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(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 2. F. HERMAN. TRACK LAYING APPARATUS.

No. 395,053. Patented Dec. 25, 1888.

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N. PEIERS. Pnmumu n mr. Washinglnu, n. c.

(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet a. F. HERMAN. TRAGK LAYING APPARATUS.

No. 395,053. Patented Dec. 25, 1888.

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(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 4.

P. HERMAN.

4 TRACK LAYING APPARATUS. No. 395,053. Patented Dec. 25, 1888.

WITNESSES: INVENTOR:

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N. PETERS. PhnCo-Lilhngnphur, Wishingtull. D. Q

NiTnn STATES PATENT Trice.

FREDRICK J-IERMAN, OF REDFIELD, DAKOTA TERRITORY.

TRACK-LAYING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 895,053, dated December 25, 1888.

Application filed J ly 6, 1888. Serial No. 279,054. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that l, FREDRICK HERMAN, of Redfield, in the county of Spink and Territory of Dakota, have invented a new and Improved Track Laying Apparatus, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact de-' scription.

My invention relates to an apparatus for laying rails on ties or other substructure of a road-bed to form a railway-track; and the invention has for its object to provide a simple, efficient, and durable apparatus of this character which may be operated to lay the rails of straight or curved tracks to perfect gage and with economy of time and labor.

The invention consists in certain novel fea tures of construction and combinations of parts of the track-laying apparatus, all as hereinafter described and claimed.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a plan view of my improved track-laying apparatus on the track. is a cross-section thereof, taken on the line 1 1 in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a central longitudinal vertical section of the apparatus, taken on the Fig. l is a detail plan View 1 line 2 in Fig. 1. taken on theline 3 3 in Fig. 10, and illustrates the outer rail-supports and their tripping devices. Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the tracklaying apparatus. 6 is a detail plan view illustrating the track-placer-latch devices.

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of one of the trip- 1 Fig. 8 is a 1 ping-levers of the placer-head.

vertical transverse section taken on the line i a in Fig. l. on the line 5 5 in Fig. 1, and Fig. 10 is a transverse section taken on the line H (3 in Fig. 1.

The track-laying apparatus consists of two structures, a rail-carrying car, A, and a railplacer, B, connected as presently described. The car is made with opposite side stringerbeams, a a, and cross-timbers a, securely bolted together and supported by two two-wheeled trucks held in suitable hearings or boxes on The car-wheels a are prothe car-frame. vided with double flanges which lap over both sides of the heads of the rails C dropped from r the placer, and hold them in perfect gage until they are spiked or otherwise secured to Fig. 2 1

Fig. 9 is a cross-section taken i i the ties or road-bed, and as hereinafter more fully explained. Suitable truss braces, (1

strengthen the carfra1ne.

On the frame there is journaled a transverse shaft, (1, to which are fixed eccentrically a pair of brake-shoes, l) D, which may be 1 pressed against the laid rails C C by means of a lever, d, which is fixed to the shaft cl, and may be locked into any one of the teeth l of a ratchet-bar, (1 secured to the car-frame. This brake device enables one man to stop the car at proper place and holds the car at rest until one pair of track-rails is run from it onto the placer B and let down therefrom to the road-bed, and should the forward carwheels run a little past the ends of the lastlaid pair of rails the brake-shoes D D will still hold the car platform or frame up level at proper position to discharge the next pair 5 of rails from it onto the placer B. A spring, (l held to the lever (1' and hooking at its rear end under the car-frame, normally lifts the free end of the lever and holds the brake device out of action.

1 a metal bar, (4 from which the main longitudinal frame-beams b b of the rail-placer B are hung by U bolts or clevices b b. Theforward ends of these beams 11 Z) are connected by a heavy cross bar or timber, W, from which the i principal parts of the rail -placer are supported, as presently explained, and the rear l ends of the beams 13 b are connected by a 1 metal plate, 12 which may be re-enforced by l a thinner metal plate, I), placed on top of it. The back end of the placer rests between upper and lower cross-bars E E,which are bolted to the car-frame and are provided with a series of holes, 6, through any two of which two pins, F F, may be passed. These pins pass j freely through holes in the placer-plate b or the plates b b", and form guides on which the back end of the placer may move up or down, the pins having heads which prevent them falling through the upper cross-bar E of the car-frame. The pins F F in connection with the series of holes 6 e also provide for laying i the rails from the placer on either right or 1 left hand curves of the railroad-track, as here- Across the front of the car-frame is bolted.

passes through a transverse slot, g, made in the placer-plate I) or the plates b b, so as not to prevent the lateral movement of the back end of the placer, and said bar G is provided with upper and lower notches, q into either one of which a spring-pressed latchbar, H, pivoted to the placer plate I)", is adapted to enter, whereby the forward end of the placer may be held down onto the trackties or be held up clear of the ties durin the placing of the rails. A keeper, 71 is provided for the free end of the latch-bar. A couple of springs, I I, which are held at their centers to the placer-beams bl), act by their free ends beneath the upper crossbar E and one of the car-frame bars a, to force down the back end of the placer and raise its forward end from the road-bed when allowed to do so by the latch.

To the latch H connected a rod, 71,whieh (intends forward to an arm, j, which is fixed to a shaft, J, journaled transversely on the placer-beams Z) 1) forward of the fulcrum-elem ises therei'rt. This shaft J may be turned to release the latch ll from its detent-bar G by turning a lever, J, adjusted to one end of the shaft, or by pressing down onto either one of two arms, J J ,which are fixed to and project forward from the shaft. A spring, ll, which fixed to the placer-frame or to a bolt and nut holding or carrying trougl'i, l), on said frame, normally presses upward on the shaftarms I to assure the free engagement of the latch II with the bar G. The placer-:t'rame also has a metal plate or floor, I), in front of the trough b to accommodate short pieces of rails or lish-plates, or chair-plates, or other fittings of the track being laid by the machine, and the car A is also provided with a table or trouglnw, for similar purpose. The placerbeams b Z1 are also provided with depending metal brackets or irons I) ll", on and across which pieces of rails or other fittings may be carried.

On one of the car-frame cross-bars a, preferably the second one from the front, is held at its center by pins'lr. an elastic rod, K, the opposite inclined parts of which rise graduallyto points where the rod is bent downward to form shoulders Ir Ir, which normally project above thetops of the cross-bar a and form fulerum-points against which the rails ..,when slid to the sides of the car, maybe set to adjust the rails in proper relation to the front end rollers a, journaled on the car to allow the rails to be run out forward over said rollers onto the rail-summits of the placer 1-3, from which the rails will be dropped to the ties or road-bed, as presently described. The rails C will preferably be loaded from platforms at the side of the track onto the center of the car, and as one pair of rails is drawn outward to the sides of the car they will depress the shoulders k 7c of the rod K until the ails pass the shoulders, which then spring upward toforin the rail-adjusting fulcrums above mentioned. The extremities of the rod Kare bent to form handles 75*, by pressing which the shoulders of the rod may be held below the car cross'bar u by hand while the rails are being shifted over to the center of the car when loading it. The car is also provided with a pair of rear rollers, a a, over which rails may be run in loading the car from the rear end or on which long rails will have support as they are run forward to the placerv The forward end or head of the rail-placer l includesimportant features of my inven tion and will be next deseribedals follows: A transverse head-plate, l is held to the placerhead beam 11 by a bolt, [,which passes through the plate, and an arched brace, l, interposed between the plate and head-beam. 'lwo gage plates, M M, which hang vertically at each side of the placer-head, are provided with inbent ends or head-pieces n1. 111, which lap onto the head-plate L, and are held thereto by bolt ends a n, which are formed at the upper ends of the two front and rear parts or limbs of the placer-legs N N, the footdates n n of which are adapted to support the placer-head on the ties c of the road-bed on which the rails (I are to be laid. The gageplates M andlegs N are se jiarated in pairs at each side of the placer to form two vertical spaces, 0 (i), to accommodatc one pair of rails (l and hold them to proper gage. as they fall to the roadbed, as hereinafter more fully explained. The bolt I also holds to the under side of the crossbeam U the upper center part of an arched brace-lair, 21 the lower ends of which are tixed to the opposite rail gage legs N N of the placer to stay them laterally. The gageplates M N do not extend downward as far as the legs N, as the plates are required only for holding the rails laterally and not to support the placer from the ties of the track.

The front and rear parts of each of the placer-legs N converge from the opposite ends of its foot-plate n to the beam 11 to which they are held by a bolt, p, which also gives a hearing to the lower end of the shaft of a verti cally-rangin g conical roller, P, the upper bearing of which is in an eyebolt, held to the leg. The bolt p also serves as a journal-imming for the adjacent rail-supporting and triproller S, presently describewl. The roller P cooperates with another opposing roller, R, in guiding the rail (l from the car A onto the trip-roller S of the placer. This roller R is journaled on a pin or slu'l ft, I", which is stepped in a lug, in, formed on or fixed to the adjacent gage-plate M, and is formed as the lower end of a metal bar, T, which is bent twice, or laterally and downward, so that it may be held to the head-plate L by the bolt ends n of the placer-legs N, and these bolt ends also hold to the head-plate, and preferably between the bar T and the inbent head piece m of the gage-plate M, the outbent flange of a longitudin all yangin g bar, U, which, with the like bar at the other side of the placer-head,

'serves'as a pair of handles by which, in conlOO Lil

tripping-levers of the placer.

nection with the power of the springs I at the rear end of the placer-frame, the head may be lifted, The bolt ends a of the legs N also pass through a pair of transverse parallel plates, L, which are below the head-plate L, and re-enforce it, and the bolt ends it also pass through a pair of plates, V V, held one ends, Z also hold to the plates V the upper ends of bars V, which carry pivotally at their lower ends the roller-detents X, which are held up beneath the outer ends of the trip-rollers S by the rearwardly-extending arms '0' of the A spring, Y, which is held to the gage-plate M, hangs by its lower end over the upper part of a slot, y, made in said plate, and through or in which slot the opposite ends 5- s of the trip-roller S turn, and at every half-turn of this roller it will lodge on the detent X, and the spring Y will by springing in over the roller S prevent backward-tnrning movement of said roller. The pivot or shaft of the detent X is secured both in the bar W and gage-plate M, and thus stays said bar from the plate. It will thus appear that by the use of the two pairs of.

bolt ends n and 7 at each side of the placerhead I am enabled to make a very substantial and inexpensive construction and combination of parts of the placer.

3y reference to Fig. l of the drawings it will appear that the trip roller or device S is really a double roller or has a short roller, 8, mounted at each end part of it or at each side of the pivot p, on which the device turns to bring the two rollers s alternately within or across the rail-receiving space 0 between the gages MN of the placer-head. The trippinglevers V of the placer-heatl are peculiarly made with two main side bars, one 1: on which the horizontally-mnging latch portion 1* is provided for the detentX of the roller S, and the other side bar, 1", which is formed with a heel portion, e, which acts against the front part of the placer-leg N as a stop to limit the downward and backward throw of the latch on its pivot or shaft '1', which is shouldered at its central part to hold. the two latch-bars "r r apart, said bars being also stayed to each other by a fixed cross-bar, r onto which presses the forward end of a spring, Z, which is held at its rear end to the top of the placerhead. This spring normally throws the entire latch downward and rearward and holds the part L" of the latch in proper position to support the detent X and roller S until the latch is operated by upward pressure on a roller, ,2, which is journaled in any two of series of holes a, which are provided at the forward ends of the two latch-bars '17:). By adjusting the roller .2 higher or lower in the series of holes .2" the latch may be tripped later or earlier by contact of the rail with it. One of the latch-levers V is shown in perspective view in Fig. 7. The lever-bar r is shown in side view in Fig. 5, and the bar r is shown in side View in Fig. of the drawings.

The operation of the apparatus is as follows: \Ve will suppose that two rails C, on the car A have been slid toward the outer sides of the car and in position against the shouldersk k of the elastic rod K, and the latch H engaged with the lower notch, 9 of the bar G, as shown in Fig. 8 of the drawings, to hold the placer-head up clear of the ties c on the road-bed. These two rails will now be run forward over the car-rollers a and between the conical or tapering guide-rollers P R and onto the trip-rollers S for a couple of feet.

I The carA now supporting the rail-placer will be drawn forward on the two rails C C last laid from the placer until at the forward ends of said laid rails, when the brakes D will be ap plied to stop the car. The lever .l will now be pulled forward, or either one of the arms or levers J 2 will be pressed down, as may be most convei'lient, and this will release the latch II and allow the weight of the pair of rails C on the placer-rollers S S to rock the placer on its U-bolts 1/ until the legs N rest on the ties, and the latch II will now automatically engage the upper notch, g, of the bar G to lock the placer-head on the ties. The aforesaid lowering of the placer-head will have adj usted the rail-supporting rollers S suiti cien tly below the car-rollers a to cause the two rails C C to run. forward by gravity, and the rear ends of the rails they leave the rollers a will be caught by men,who will swing the back ends of the rails downward on the placer-rollers S as fulcrums and as indicai ed in dotted lines in Fig. 5 of the drawings, their object being to set the back ends of the rails against the forward ends of the rails last laid and on which the car A rests. About at the time the ends of the rails are joined, as aforesaid, or it may be a moment earlier, the rails will strike the rollers of the levers and rock them on their pivots r, and thereby withdraw their latch-arms I from under the detents X, which then will turn down and allow the trippingroller S to turn as the rails fall by their own weight down in the spaces 0 0 between the two pairs of guides H N and onto the ties, the guides holding the rails to perfect gage. The lever J or one of the arms J will now be operated to withdraw the latch ll from the notch g of the bar (lr, whereupon the springs I I will act instantly to lift the placer-head from the ties, and the latch H will again automatically engage the lower notch, g of the bar G to hold the placer-head up clear of the ties. Another pair of rails C C will now be IIO adjusted and run forward onto the placerrear ends of the pair of rails just dropped to place, when the brakes D will be again applied, and these rails will be laid to the ties in a manner readily understood from the aforesaid description.

The placer-head guides Al N assure the laying or dropping ot' the rails in true gage, and the ear-wheels u eo-operate with the plaeer for like purposes; heuee as the rails are laid two at a time or for both rails of the traek simultaneously they may be spiked or otherwise secured to the ties or roadbed while the ear stands on them, or immediately after the ear shall have passed forward over them, and the whole work may be aeeompli shed by a few men and with marked eeonomy of time and labor.

\Yhile laying rails on curves of the track the pins F will be shifted either to the right or left hand holes 0 ol the series of said holes in the cross-bars E to swing the rail-placer head either to the left or right hand, as the curves of the traek may require. It will be understood that the guide-rollers P R on the placer-head are not essential to the successful operation of the apparatus, and that the rollers s s on the pivoted rail-supports S of the placer-head are not necessary, as a plain pivoted shaft or bar may be used, and the triplever rollers 2 may be substituted by plain shafts or bars; but the use of all these rollers is desirable, as they relieve the friction and lessen the labor of working the apparatus. The

pivoted detents X may also be dispensed with,

nation, with a movable rail-platform, of a railplacer consisting of a horizontal forwardlyprojeeting structure lulerumed to the plat j the pivoted supports and allow the rails to form for vertieal movement thereon and provided at its forward part with supports rereiving both side rails of a lrark from said 1 platform, substantially as herein set forth.

2.). In a t.raekla ving ap mrz'itus, the eombi tripped to allow the rails to drop to the roadbed, substantially as herein set forth.

4. In a track-laying apparatus, the combination, with a movable rail-platform, of a railplaeer 't'ulerumed thereto for vertical movement and provided at its head with pivoted supports for rails run forward from the platform, lateh-detents adapted to retain the pivoted rail-supports, and pendent legs or plates holding the rails in gage as they are dropped from the pivotal supports to the road-bed, substantially as herein set forth.

In a track-laying apparatus, the combination, with a movable rail-platform, of a railplacer fulerumed thereto and provided at its head with pivoted supports for rails run forward from the platform, and latelrdetents adapted to retain said rail-support legs on the plaeer-head adapted to support it from the road-bed, a latch on the rail-platform adapted to hold the placer-head up from the road-bed, and pondentlegs or plates forming guides holding the rails in gage as they are dropped from the pivoted supports to the road-bed, substantially as herein set forth.

U. In a track-laying apparatus, the combination, with a movable rail-platform, of a railplaeer held thereto and provided at its head with pivoted supports for rails run forward from the platform, latch-levers t'ulerumed on the placer-head and adapted to retain the pivoted supports and the rails thereon, and said latch-levers provided with cross-bars or rollers ada 'ited to be struck by the rails when their rear ends are lowered, to automatically trip the pivoted supports and allow the rails to fall to the road-bed, substantially as herein set forth.

7. In a trae'lelaying apparatus, the combination, with a movable rail-platform, of a railplaeer held thereto and provided at its head with pivoted supports for rails run forward from the platform, latch-levers i'ulerumed on the placer'head and adapted to retain the pivoted supports and the rails thereon, and said latch-levers provided with cross-bars or rollers adapted to be struck by the rails when their rear ends are lowered to autmnatieally trip tail to the roaul'bed, and said rail-platform provided with brake deviees adapted for aetion on the laid rails on which the platform rests to prevent forward movement of the platform while the inclined rear ends of the rails being laid bear on the forward ends of the rails last laid, substantially as herein set forth.

8. In a traek-laying apparatus, the combination, with a movable rai 1- platform, of a railplaeer held thereto and provided at its head with pivoted supports for rails run forward from the platform, latch-lev rs lulerumed on the plaeer-heznl to retain the pivoted supports and the rails thereon, and said latch-levers provided with eross-bars or rollers adapted to be struck by the rails when their rear ends are lowered to automatically trip the pivoted IIS supports and allow the rails to fall, and said placer-head also provided with pendent legs or plates holding the rails in gage as they are dropped to the road-bed, substantially as herein set forth.

9. In a track-laying apparatus, the combination, with a rail car or platform, of a railplacer hung to the platform and provided at its head with pivoted supports for rails run forward from the platform, latch-detents adapted to retain said rail-supports, and pendent legs or plates holding the rails in gage as they are dropped from the pivoted supports to the road-bed, and the rear end of the placer held to the rail-platform, so as to be adj ustable laterally to accommodate curves of the road-bed in laying rails thereon, substantially as herein set forth.

10. In a track-laying apparatus, the combination, with a rail car or platform having front rollers, a, of a rail-placer fulcrumed on the plat-form and provided with tilting rail-supports S, having rollers s, and latcl1-dete11ts for said supports, substantially as described, whereby when the plac er-head is lowered the rails on the rollers a s will run forward by gravity, as and for the purposes set forth.

11. In a track-laying apparatus, the combination, with a rail-ear and a rail-placer fulcrumed thereto and provided with pivoted rail-supports and latches therefor, substantially as specified, of a latch-bar, G, on the car and a latch, ll, on the placer, substantially as herein set forth.

1?. In a track-laying apparatus, the combination, with a rail-car and a rail-placer fulerumed thereto and having pivoted rail-supports and latches therefor, of springs interposed between the car and placerframes and latch devices on the'car and placer for holding the placer-head clear of the road-bed, substantially as herein set forth.

13. In .a track-laying apparatus, the combination, with a rail-ear, a rail-placer fulcrumed thereto and provided with pivoted rail-supports and latches therefor, a catch-bar, G, on theear, and a latch, It, on the placer, of a rod, 71, connected to the latch, and shaft-andlever connections to therod 71 for operating the latch from the forward end of the car, substantially as herein set forth.

ll. In a track-laying apparatus, theeombination,.with the rail-ear A, of an elastic or spring-actuated rod, K, having shoulders 1.:7r, forming t'ulerums in adjusting the rails, substantially as herein set forth.

15. In a track-laying apparatus, the combination, with a rail car. or platform, of a railplaeer held thereto, rail-supports, as S, pivoted to the placer-head, lateh-detents for said supports, and springs Y, preventing backward movement of the tripped supports, substantially as herein set forth.

16. In a track-laying apparatus, the railplacer head provided with pivoted rail-sup ports S, having rollers s s at opposite ends, substantially as herein set forth.

17. In a track-laying apparatus, the railplacer head provided with pivoted rail-supports, as S, pivoted detents X therefor, and spring-pressed latch-levers V, having parts o under the detents, substantially as herein set forth.

18. In a traek-laying apparatus, the railplaeer head provided with pivoted rail-supports, as S, pivoted detents X therefor, and spring-pressed latch-levers V, having parts 1/ under the detents, and also having crossbar or rollers 2, substantially as herein set forth.

19. In a track-laying apparatus, the railplacer head provided with pivoted rail-supports, as S, rail-guides M N, guide-rollers P R, leading the rails to the supports S and between the guides M N, and latch devices holding the supports S and allowing them to be tripped for dropping the rails to the road-bed between the guides M N, which hold the rails in gage, substantially as herein set forth.

20. In a track-laying apparatus, the railplaeer head provided with pivoted rail-supports, as S, and spring-pressed latch-levers therefor provided with outer bars or rollers, .2, arms n under the supports S, and arms r", forming stops to the levers, substantially as herein set forth.

21. In a track-laying apparatus, the railplacer head formed with a cross-beam, b legs N N, held thereto, a head-plate, L, held to the legs, and plates M M, held to the head-plate and parallel with the legs N, and forming therewith guides to hold the rails in gage as they are dropped to the road-bed, substantially as herein set fort-h.

22. In a track-laying apparatus, the railplacer formed with beams l) b, a cross-beam, b legs N N, held to the cross-beam, headplates L L, held to the legs by bolt ends 01' thereon, and pendent plates M M, ranging parallel with the legs and said plates Ii, having bolt ends 1?, which, with the bolt ends -11 of legs N, hold the plates M to the placer- 1 head, substantially as herein set forth.

93. In a track-laying apparatus, the railplaeer having beams 11 b and a head formed with a cross-beam, b head-plates L L, legs N N, plates M M, bolt 7, and braces l M, all arranged substantially as herein set forth.

24. In a track-laying apparatus, the tilting form and provided with arms U U onits head, f substantially as herein set forth.

FREDRICK HERMAN. \Yitnesses:

THOMAS MoRIARrrY, ALEX. F. NELSON.

rail-placer fulcrumed on a rail. car or plat- ICC 

